30 Ways to Get Out of the Author Rut: Part III

“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” ~ Arthur C. Clark

Are you an author that is in a rut? Here are more ways to help.

Clean UP!

Take a day to clean and organize every inch of your workspace and surrounding area. If you write at home, then clean your entire house, do the laundry, and dust. This will have several wonderful outcomes to pull you from that rut.

First, you will distract your mind while cleaning and come up with terrific ideas for writing and marketing.

Second, you will feel more in control when writing or working on your career.

Third, you will build confidence. People that do chores still have hope. People that give up on the chores have lost hope.

Cheer UP!

Decide right now the kind of person you want to be. Remember that cheerful, confident authors sell books. Grouchy authors spend time complaining. Get excited about the person you will become. Smile at the thought of having a wonderful future as an author.

I’m not sure of one good reason to worry.

If you are feeling inadequate about being an author, then commit to improving.

If you are overwhelmed, then only do the most important things each day.

If you are feeling alone, then reach out to one of the million authors on Facebook and talk about writing.

If you are disappointed, then set a new goal.

If you are frustrated, then challenge yourself to learn more.

If you are sad, then realize that you have not lost anything, but only have more to gain.

If you are afraid, then prepare more and have faith in yourself.

If you are uncomfortable about doing something, then do it in a slightly different way where you feel more comfortable.

And remember to smile…because you have an amazing gift.

Dress UP!

I have a pair of shoes that my family calls, “Daddy’s game day shoes.” I only wear them to speaking engagements, book signings, and my author events. When I put those shoes on, along with my black slacks and shirt, I have unshakable confidence as an author.

There should be at least one outfit that you can put on, which transforms your mind and emotions into “Author Mode.” Be sure to respect that outfit. And remember that if you dress like an author, talk like an author, and believe that you are an author, then you are an author.

Change it UP!

You are not the same person you were ten years ago. You took specific actions to build your author career. If you are in a rut, then you just decided that those actions did not work. Changes need to be made for you to be successful.

Thomas Edison had this to say on the subject, “If we all did things that we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” Notice that Edison already assumes that you are capable of doing what you are already good at doing. If you feel stuck, then you are not using all your abilities to change into the person you want to be. In other words, you need to expand who you are.

I hated reading and writing while in school. Little did I know, I had a special gift for reading and writing. I thank God for the ability to change.

UP-Grade yourself.

How can you sell a thousand more books in the next four months? Or, how can you sell fifty thousand books in the next year? The answer to those questions is the same answer that every person looking to increase their earnings has to figure out. It is the ability to become more valuable. The amount of value you provide to your readers will be directly related to your earnings.

Actually, the answer to, “How can I become more valuable?” is this, “How can I add value to others?” If you find a way to add value to your readers, they will stick with you forever. The more value you can add, the more fans will come your way.

Joseph Wood Krutch had this to say, “Every time a value is born, existence takes on new meaning; every time one dies, some part of that meaning passes away.”